Anna Lo MLA said: “Alliance agrees that we should take down election posters on the route of the Giro d’Italia for the duration of the race if there is agreement from all political parties. However, if there is cross party agreement on this, then we should also look to take down flags and paramilitary murals along the route.
“The very same arguments that politicians have been making about taking down election posters to showcase Northern Ireland and our beautiful scenery, also applies to flags and paramilitary murals.
“Funding will be made available in towns along the route to improve the image of eyesores such as derelict buildings but I have a bigger problem with images of paramilitary gunmen. Do we really want these images to be visible on the route when millions of people will be watching the race on television? Why would we spend money on improving derelict buildings but not deal with threatening and intimidating paramilitary murals?
“If all parties agree to take down election posters, then we should also look to take down the flags that are on the same lamp posts. People are tired of flags being used to mark territory and intimidate local people. This is not the image that we want to be sending out to the world during such a prestigious event.
“The Giro d’Italia provides us with a great opportunity to show that Northern Ireland has moved beyond the politics of the past. As political parties were so willing to support the ban on election posters along the route, I hope they will show similar support for a ban on flags and paramilitary murals.”
ENDS